O C T O B E R , 1963 (Features from the September “Biola Hour” ) SPECIAL IN THIS ISSUE: A Prophetic Primer
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broadcaster Monthly Publication o f the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Voi. 3 No. 10 OCTOBER, 1963 CONTENTS OUR BLESSED HOPE ................ 3 REJECTED AN D V IND ICATED .... 5 THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION ........... 8 THE DOUBTERS ..................... 9 THE CERTAINTY OF CHRIST'S RETURN ............... 11 CAUGHT UP TOGETHER .......... 13 CHRIST'S COM ING QUESTIONED 15 CREATION A N D PROPHECY ..... 17 GOD'S TIM E IS ETERNITY ........ 19 QUESTIONS A N D A N SW E R S ...... 20 JOY A M ID SORROW ............... 25 THUS SAITH THE LORD ..........27 FOREVER W ITH H IM ...............28 SAVED FROM W RATH ............29 THIS MONTH . . . due to the special' messages on p’rophecy, most illustra tions and other space is completely utilized in order that we might re print the complete September series of messages on "Background to Prophecy" with Dr. Ralph L. Keiper. STAFF President ............ S. H. Sutherland Editor ..................... Al Sanders Production .........Virginia Schwepker Printing ................ Church Press Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal. Controlled circulation postage paid at Los Angeles, California.
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SEPTEMBER PROPHECY MESSAGES
W hen it comes to prophetic truth there is only one key. Unless it is used the lock will never open to unfold the marvelous plan which God has made for the future. The key is wholly and completely the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to reveal the Father unto us. For, you see, everything con cerning Bible prophecy is centered in the return of our Saviour. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time with out sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). This portion of Scripture speaks of His coming both a first time and a second. The first appearance is ex plained in Hebrews 10:5 wherein we read, “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.” Our Lord Jesus came to fulfill the will of God and to become the Saviour of man. W ill anyone need further
evidence that man desperately re quires a Saviour? God is perfect, just and holy and must demand absolute perfection; He demands absolute obedi ence to the total law. Man hasn’t ren dered such obedience, and, indeed, be cause of sin, can never in his own strength, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Ro mans 3:23). It is true that man has had religion, and ritual. But these were all devised out of an evil heart and vain imagina tions. Man Was created in the image and likeness of God. His sinful heart, however, is far away from the Lord and, as a result, God had to send a perfect sacrifice, the Saviour, His only begotten Son. Now this was not an obligation He owed to man, but was a result of His wonderful love and matchless grace. This is why Christ declared, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of (continued on next page)
John the Baptist, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The original meaning is even more force ful in the sense, “Who taketh away once for all the sin of the world.” The Lord Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, was different from any other priest who has ever ministered for He gave Himself as the atonement. In doing so, the sacrifice is of such a nature and quality that every sin man would commit has been cared for. Re ligion, denominations, church back ground, does not enter into it at all. There is a coming day when each will ÿtand before God. We will be asked the one question which cannot remain unanswered: “On what basis do you WAITING This year, this day, this hour may be The longed for time for you and me To see our Saviour's blessed face And know the fulness of His grace. To His devoted, waiting throng; With ears attuned, with eager eyes They wait and shout, they search the skies. Men's hearts are failing them for fear; They dread the "Something" draw ing near. Christ's own alone stand unashamed To meet the hour before ordained. Come, King of kings, and lovely Lord; Come quickly and redeem Thy Word; We're listening now to hear the shout That calls Thy dead and living out. seek eternal life and to enter heaven?” We will not be able to plead church membership, recite a creed or ritual, or show income tax reports of charit able gifts. There is only one answer God will accept. Have you accepted the Saviour whom He sent, even His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you know this Sin-bearer as your own personal Redeemer? Will you be able to say, “My right to heaven is the shed blood of Christ”? 4 The days, the months, the years seem long
Our Blessed Hope (continued) men,) to do thy will, O God” (Hebrews 10:5). The Book to which He refers is the Old Testament which reveals God, in His marvelous grace, as the divine and only Sovereign who could send man a Redeemer, the Messiah of Israel, the Saviour of thè world, the Lord Jesus Christ. Another part of the blessed truth of Christ’s coming and fulfilling prophecy is that His coming was to make us holy. “Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt-offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offer ing Of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:8-10). The law was able to give good advice and direct in the offering of proper sacrifices, but it could never take away sin nor justify man before God and make him good. When the Lord Jesus came it was not only to cover our sins by His blood as atonement, but also He came to make us holy, spotless and without blame, righteous before God. To see how efficient His work on Calvary’s cross really was we read, “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacri fice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:11, 12 ). The coming of Christ to this earth was undeniable proof that God loved man, and a further testimony that man needed a Saviour. In the final analysis it was also a testimony that religion, as it is known by man, is not sufficient for salvation and eternal life. The work of the priestly Old Testament order was never finished; their sacri fices could never take away sin and change the hearts of people. This is why when our Lord came He was the perfect peace offering, sin offering, and trespass offering to God. No wonder
BIOLA RADIO PROPHECY MESSAGE
by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper, Editorial Research Director, Evangelical Foundation Philadelphia, Pennsylvania thorns. Before He could be the Lion of the tribe of Judah, He first had to come as Israel’s Paschal Lamb. Yet, amid such disfavor and rejection by man, John testifies the good news, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” For from all ages, in the vary ing dispensations of the Lord, there is a faithful remnant who believe and trust in the Saviour. Not only was the Lord Jesus ignored and rejected, but also He was reviled, abused and threatened. “Who did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, re viled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:22, 23). Men will bring trou ble upon themselves because they are sinful, corrupt and evil. Our Lord Jesus, however, was without deceit or guile; He was God’s perfect man, both human and divine. Man’s utmost bad was climaxed by the cross. Yet, even there, our Lord Jesus did not retaliate. When He was abused, He did not seek to be abusive; when He was threat ened, He did not threaten in return. Rather He looked to His heavenly Fa ther, committing Himself to Him who judgeth all things righteously. But there is one other important aspect here. It is true that the Lord Jesus was ignored by the world and abused by men, however, in addition He was made a curse by God Himself. The very thought may startle us as we first think of it, so let us look at Scriptural proof. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Our Lord Jesus (continued on next page) 5
REJECTED AND VINDICATED O ne of the greatest heartbreaks any person can experience is to be rejected, abandoned, forsaken, set aside, or treated indifferently. There is no more wretched experience than to be rejected by those who ought to love and care for you. When our Lord Jesus Christ was here upon the earth He received just such attention Our Saviour was rejected by the world, by Israel, yea, even by God Himself. In His rejection by the world, John sums it up as we read, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own re ceived him not” (John 1:10, 11). The Creator of the universe Himself came to this earth to dwell among men. Literally, this portion of Scripture means that the world ignored Him; it would have nothing to do with Him. Perhaps He was known as a religious leader, a teacher out of Galilee. Some may have even regarded Him as a brave martyr. Yet to embrace the true and full meaning of His coming had never been experienced. So both the world and the race into which He was bom, Israel, completely ignored Him. It is true that scholars, reading proph ecies which appear as our Old Testa ment, expected their Messiah to come in great glory and majesty. They were now slaves to Rome and desired, above all else, to be free. The spirit of na tionalism burned fervently in their hearts. No wonder they anticipated Christ to break the heel of their op pressors. How could this meek and lowly Nazarene be their Deliverer? What power would He have to van quish the Romans? They had over looked that the same Scriptures proph esied His coming in humiliation and lowliness. Before He could be crowned with gold He must wear a crown of
‘ Tis clone, the great transaction’s done. 1 am my Lord’s and He is mine.” Now, an important question faces you. “Since Christ was ignored by the world (including myself in times past), will I continue to reject Him? W ill I make His death on the cross vain and useless as far as my own salvation is concerned?” No longer do you need to ignore Christ and wander about without light in this sin-darkened world. “Into my heart, into my heart, Come into my heart Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay, Come into my heart Lord Jesus.” tire student body and faculty. One reason why our interest is heightened in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is because He will also do some vindi cating for us. Taking the Lord by faith we live in a sinful world. The Bible, salvation, every aspect of the Christian life is viciously attacked. Because the Lord is visibly silent concerning such rampant unbelief it almost appears as though Christ might not come again. How blessed in these times to assure our hearts with the words of Scripture, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of man; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (He brews 9:28). No wonder our hearts burst forth in joyous song, “He is com ing again; He is coming again; in power and great glory, He is coming again!! One purpose of our Lord’s coming is to indicate the Word of God and Himself as the Testator thereof. From the point of view of the world, when the Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cross, He died as a martyr for a lost cause. People without the Saviour, are willing to admit that He died; however, that’s the end of it. They will not conclude that which Scripture insists, that He is now seated at the right hand of God from whence He will literally and visibly return to this earth again. You and I, as born- again believers, take God’s Word by 6
Christ came to this earth full know ing that to fulfill the will of the Fa ther it would involve His sacrificial death. Why did He come to be cursed by God? Simply because He came to manifest the love of tlie Father to you and to me, and so that He might be our Saviour. In order for God’s holi ness not to be violated, and His justice upheld, the full penalty of the broken law had to be paid. The law dictated that the wages of sin is death. Yet, blessed be His name, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Saviour has brought us out from under the curse; He has pur chased us back to God from the slave market of sin. H ave you ever been in serious trou ble, accused of certain things of which you were not guilty, and yet had no way of proving yourself innocent? At this moment you have sought for vindication. Yet there has been no one to come to your side for help. A young friend of mine had to leave a Christian college because she was accused, as a student, of doing some thing against the college’s rules. Cir cumstances seemed to point to her as the guilty party. While she knew she wasn’t, still the evidence was there. She told the faculty committee, “I am not in a position to prove my innocence. Everything points to my guilt. I know you will expell me be cause of what appears. But will you promise that, if in the future my inno cence is proved, you will restore me to the college with honor, and just as pub licly retract my past condemnation?” Naturally, the college leaders agreed. About six months later there was a re vival meeting on the campus. One of the students went to the dean and said, “I am the one who was responsible. I did the thing for which my fellow stu dent was dismissed. Circumstances were managed so that it looked as though she were guilty where she was really innocent.” The college presi dent sent a telegram to the student who had been expelled and she was completely vindicated before the en
faith. The reason we know our Lord Jesus has been exalted is because of our faith in the Word of God. It cannot be proved by logic necessarily, but when we accept the testimony of the Word, then our guarantee is, “Thus saith the Lord.” The Saviour .is coming back again to vindicate the fact of His exaltation; to vindicate the fact of His resurrection; to vindicate the fact of His ascension. We rejoice in that truth that He is coming again. He is coming again to vindicate Himself and to show to the world that He did not die as a martyr for a lost cause. SOUL WINNING To win the insincere man, I must be sincere; To win the liar, I must be truthful; To win the stingy man, I must be liberal; To win a heart full of hatred; My heart must be full of love; To win a lazy man, I must be in dustrious; To win a discouraged man, I must be encouraged; To win a dead professor of religion, I must be a live professor of Christianity; To win the impure, I must be pure; To win the unsettled to Christ, I must be settled in the truth of God's Word. Then, too, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again to vindicate those of us who live for Him by faith. Sometimes, in your darkest moments of discourage ment, you may have asked the ques tion, “Does it really pay to serve the Lord? Crime seems to pay; dishon esty seems to pay; a lack of loyalty seems to pay; and a lack of integrity seems to be the popular feature of the day.” Peter answers that age-old ques tion, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the d a y of (judgment) visitation” (1 Peter 2:11 and 12). But someone may ask, “How will they glorify God? I
don’t see sinners clapping their hands for joy because I try to please the Lord.” But the glorifying of God is when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and the books are open so that all things are made public and before Him. You and I will be vindicated and our faithfulness will be rewarded. We will then see that crime, dishonesty, immorality and all manner of sinful living does not pay. Judgment shall be the portion of those who practice such things. Those who may judge and disrespect us now, will glorify God then because of our faithfulness. They will be forced to admit that we lived holily before them; they will be with out excuse because of our witness to the saving faith of our Lord Jesus Christ Our Lord will also vindicate us con cerning death. If you know and love the Saviour, you will not be at yOur own funeral. We believe that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Of course, the world laughs at us for such a belief. Why does the Christian believe that in after life we will be with the Lord? Simply because of the testimony of the Word of God. In faith, as humble believ ers, we hold this to be true. The Lord Jesus is coming again to vindicate this fact and to show to the world that death does not end all. That, is what Paul meant when he wrote, “For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body (that is, the body of our weakness and limita tions), that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself’ (Philippians 3:20 and 21). How wonderful to be vindicated in our faithful living for Him. Some day, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come, He shall completely vindicate Himself. The world will see that we were not foolish when we trusted in Christ and lived in the Spirit of “thus said the Lord.” May your faith be en couraged as you look forward to this great day of vindication. 7
BIOLA RADIO PROPHECY MESSAGE
by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper, Editorial Research Director, Evangelical Foundation Philadelphia, Pennsylvania First of all our Lord said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it.” Hearing this statement the unbelievers thought he was crazy. Here was an edifice of incomparable wealth and majesty. It had taken years to construct and refine. These foolish people could only think of masonry; of bricks and mortar. Our Lord Jesus, however, is talking about raising life from the dead, for the text says “he spake of the temple of his body.” Now in order that this literal, physi cal, historical rising from the dead should not be explained away, He begins with the figure and literalizes it rather than starting with the literal SECURITY Does our security depend On making weapons, without end. On sending speedy satellites Upon their weird, fantastic flights? Must we, at all times, late and soon, Be shooting rockets at the moon? Is there no higher source of power, In this, our Nation's crucial hour? Our motto is, indeed, a ''must.” It's simply this: "In God we trust." — Ralph H. Dumont object and picturizing it. Immediately we must come to One of three conclu sions. Christ was either the greatest religious racketeer, or one of the world’s greatest religious fanatics, or, the only begotten Son of God over Whom death has no power. These are the only three alternatives, from which man has to choose. You see, it is faith which applies the truths of God’s Word to see that He was exactly what He said He was, very God of very God. This is further borne out in the com plete attestation and fulfillment of Scripture in that which was prophesied of Him. John also recites another time when 8
THE POWER OF THE RESURRECTION O ne of the most important aspects of our faith is, “How can we be assured that our Lord Jesus Chnst arose from the dead?” This can be succinctly summarized in the fact that the empty tomb is God’s receipt for Calvary. The Lord Himself declared, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). As the Lord speaks to His disciples before the cross the little word “i f ’ raises a very interesting situation. Where will Christ go and how will it be accom plished? I used to think the Lord Jesus, when he said, “If I go,” had in mind His going to heaven. I believed that there He would work on the apartment buildings in preparation for our com ing. But the context itself reveals that Christ was talking about more than His going to heaven. Basically He had in mind His journey to the cross. By His death He would remove the road block so that you and I can go to heav en. Yet the question remains, “How does He come from the tomb to heaven, so that He may come back from there again?” At the very outset of His earthly ministry the Lord had a discussion with the religious leaders of His day. In John 2:18 the question of the resur rection was brought to the fore. He had just cleansed the temple of racketeers. They were furious over His actions and as a result Scripture states, “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this tem ple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, F o r t y and six years was this temple in build ing, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.”
BIOLA RADIO PROPHECY MESSAGE
religious leaders tried to trap Him. The Saviour flatly declared, “Men can not kill me. I came to die, but My death is not necessary in the sense that I have to die. I have power over death so that the death I die is a willing one.” Let’s look at the text in John 10:17 and 18, “Therefore doth my Fa ther love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I re ceived of my Father.” This portion of OUR NEED OF GRACE Grace when the sun is shining. Lord Grace when the sky is black, Grace when I get an unkind word, Grace on the too smooth track. Grace when I'm elbowed in a nook, Grace when I get. my turn. Grace when the dinner will not cook. Grace when the fire won't burn. Grace when my duties all go wrong Grace when they all seem right. Grace when it's gladness, praise and song. Grace when I have to fight. Grace when my dress is fresh and new, Grace when it's worn and old, Grace when my purse is empty, too Grace when it's full of gold. Grace when the saved ones don't act saved, And put the blame on me, Grace when the grace for which I've prayed, Seems, Lord, denied by Thee. Scripture also reveals to us that our Lord was emphasizing His personal bodily resurrection. This truth cannot be spiritualized away and changed. So He not only tells us that He is able to rise from the dead Himself, but also that He makes possible our resurrec tion. So we rejoice today that the Lord Jesus Christ will come again, simply because He is the One who not only died on the cross, but also the One who arose from the dead.
THE DOUBTERS
Dr. Ralph L. Keiper B ecause the doctrine of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the pivotal truths of bur entire faith it is no wonder that it has been the most fiercely attacked by critics of the Holy Scripture. Unfortunately these attacks have come from both the secu lar as well as the religious world. There are many people who call them selves Christians and yet who do not believe in the physical, bodily, 'his torical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Gospel accounts we read how that, after the dark hours of the cruci fixion some of the Lord’s own disciples could not believe His resurrection. Even when He stood in their midst they were mystified. Perhaps we can appreciate, to some degree, their hesi tancy since people don’t rise from the dead every day; it is not a common oc- curance. Luke records our Lord’s challenge to His disciples following the resurrec tion, “And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:38, 39). Here He was in tíieir midst and yet they cannot believe their own eyes. (The word “spirit” here is not capital ized and means rather “ghost.”) He wasn’t just a wind or an etheral quality for He actually was composed of flesh and bone. As He showed them His hands and feet they were still not convinced. Naturally they were confused because, of their tradition. So, He appeals not to their faith but to their fleshly senses. He has condescended now to their low er level and instincts. But since their (continued on next page) 9
from the dead.” The doubting one was far from convinced. John paints this word picture as we read what took place eight days after the resurrection of Christ. Our Saviour tells Him, “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27). Here again the Lord appeals to a man’s senses. With the disciples He had appealed to sight, now he appeals to touch. This goes even further into roots of disbelief. Not until Thomas did what the Lord told him was he TOO LITTLE Said a precious little laddie, To his father one bright day, "M ay I give myself to Jesus, Let Him wash my sins away?" "Oh, my son, you are too little. Wait until you older grow, Bigger folk, 'tis true, do need Him; Little folk are safe, you know." Said the father to his laddie As a storm was coming on, "Are the sheep all safely sheltered. Safe within the fold, my son?" "A ll the big ones are, my father. But the lambs, I let them go. For I didn't think it mattered. Little ones, are safe, you know." Ere the evil days come nigh them, "Let the children come to Me, And forbid them not," said Jesus, "For such shall M y Kingdom be." brought fully to the realization of the power of the Saviour. He could only exclaim, “My Lord and my God.” Perhaps some of our readers are like Thomas; you have serious doubts in your mind. It may be a result of pre judice or vanity which has caused you to say, “The Gospel can’t be true.” The invitation is extended to look, to see, to touch. Christ says, “If any man will do my will, he shall know of the doc trine whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.” “O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusteth in him.” ID
Prophecy (continued) thoughts trouble them the Lord gives still another challenge. This time He tells them to feed Him. “And while they yet believed not for joy and won dered he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them” (Luke 24:41-43). What interest ing things to give to a “ghost.” We who are living have trouble with the bones of a fish, and there would be nothing more sticky to a ghost than honey. How this taust have GOD'S HIDDEN ONE Have you ever thought of God's “hid den one?" Those saints behind the scenes? Have you ever stopped to consider What their intercessions mean? Their names are never mentioned, They are humble, quiet folk. They know what it means to be lonely And feel adversity's stroke. They suffer loss of all things, Yet their loss means eternal gain. For they minister through prayer From beds of sorrow and of pain. Are you laid on a bed of sickness. Are you shut up within four walls? He has placed you there for a purpose There is a plan for you in it all. What He says unto you do it, Leave the circumstances with Him, Your light affliction for the moment Will a weight of glory win. — Laura T. Healsey amazed them as He partook of it. As the small band witnessed the sight their skepticism turns to joy. They are almost afraid to believe for they are afraid that their joy will turn into sorrow should they discover that He was not really there. Finally, it begins to dawn on them and they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. A problem arises, however, for Thomas wasn’t with them. You can imagine What Thomas thought when they told him, “We have seen Christ. He is back with us; He is truly risen
BIOLA RADIO PROPHECY MESSAGE
by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper, Editorial Research Director, Evangelical Foundation Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the capital of heaven, from the heart of God to our hearts. Now how does He do this? Well he does it through the Word because, you will notice, he is spoken of here as the Spirit of Truth. That is to say, it is the Holy Spirit who speaks from the Word of God. The Holy Spirit never speaks apart from the Word. Thus anything that is at tributed to the Holy Spirit we can check by the Word of God. In Ephe sians for example we know that it is the Holy Spirit who uses the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Just as we came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour through the work of the Holy Spirit, so this blessed Third Person of the Trinity bears testimony to the day when our Lord Jesus Christ shall come and we shall finally be redeemed. The Holy Spirit dwelling within the heart of the believer is testimony to our great future in eternity to come. We are sealed by the Spirit because we are Christ’s acquired possession and have been purchased by Him. Some times with discouragements and frus trations it may seem like we have been left here alone in the world. There is a great day coming for you and me when we are finally redeemed. We have the first fruits of the Spirit now. But some day we will receive, as it were, the last fruits when our bodies shall be fully glorified at His coming. The Holy Spirit is merely the earnest, the down payment, the promise of things to come. Thank God that we do not need to be confused or in doubt but have this blessed assurance, this foretaste of glory divine. May your realization be that you are indeed an heir of salvation, purchased of God, bom of His Spirit, and washed in His blood. 11
THE CERTAINTY OF CHRIST’S RETURN W ith repeated attacks by the skep tics and scoffers concerning the veracity of the Word of God and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, you may have asked yourself, “How can I know for sure that the Bible is true. These people seem well educated and know about what they are talking.” Our assurances are based on the fact that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The pri mary proof, in fact the only basic proof, of the second coming of Jesus Christ is the testimony of His Word. Those of us who believe in God must believe the Scriptures as His complete revelation to man. In prophecy Christ told His disciples, “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye love me, you would rejoice because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it came to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” In addition the Lord promises a special gift when He goes away, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John .14:16). The Holy Spirit is a constant reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ will come again. The words “for ever” here simply mean “to the end of the age” rather than time without ending. Christ promises His followers, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18). The Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself but is the Journalistic Report er concerning the things of the Lord Jesus Christ and His return. He does this for us, of course, through His Word, the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the Reporter of glory and it is His business to bring us good news from
BIOLA RADIO PROPHECY MESSAGE
by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper
THE EVENT OF EVENTS
W e read the newspapers, listen to thé radio, watch the television in order to know what is going on in the world. The Bible tells us that there are great news events to transpire in the days ahead. In fact, the Bible is a Book of news, the greatest event of which is the physical, bodily, literal return personally to this earth of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the Bible is the good news of God’s prom ised redemption for man. The angels brought this good news to the shep herds as they declared, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is bom this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Many of us have received the Good News with gladness and as a result we have the promise of eternal life. The event of the second coming of Christ will outclass anything else which has ever appeared in the head lines of our newspapers. It will be an indescribable event. Actually it will be a mysterious event because, first, all true believers will be taken from the earth, or raptured, to meet Him in the clouds. What a glorious, visible event this will be. This is testified to us as we read in Acts, in the words of the heavenly truth, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye see him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The disci ples were given the blessed promise concerning the very one whom they had known both before and after His resurrection. The very same Jesus, not merely a spiritual form, but a physical Jesus, having flesh anid bone, would come again. The words “like maimer” are very interesting in the light of our studies. The idea is something unusual and out of the ordinary; something
absolutely foreign to what might be expected. The event of Christ’s ascending into heaven with the attending message of angels was not a surprise to the disci ples. They had now remembered the words which our Lord Jesus Himself had declared unto them. They remem bered He had said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14: 1-3). Humanly speaking, this event for which the believer waits will startle and defy the world. With all the wis dom of science brilliant men are un able to fathom where the Lord Jesus Christ is. The same is true from the point of view of philosophy, this truth is fan tastic. But with the proven veracity of the Word of God, it is the very basis and foundation of our hope, and confidence. The Lord God almighty gives testi mony to the fact of this great event, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the sec ond time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). The first time He came He was humiliated, and received a crown of thorns. When He comes again He will receive the crown of glory. Are you looking for this great and blessed event? We will not only be observers or spectators, but we shall be participants as we meet the Lord in the air (I Thess. 4:13-18). Have you put your faith and trust in Him? “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). 12
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by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper
CAUGHT UP TOGETHER
W HEN YOU THINK of the futUTC, does your mind major on the hardships and vicissitudes of old age. For the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, there are some wonderful things in store which should excite our ear nest anticipation. Sometime ago, when I was a student in a university, I had an interesting discussion with my psychology profes sor. He said to me, “You know, I am certain that such and such is going to happen, just as sure as death and tax es.” I replied, “Well, Dr. Rogers, it is true, one may be sure of taxes, but frankly, I’m not quite so sure of death.” He was rather startled as I continued, “I expect to pay taxes, but I don’t expect to die.” Now he was sure I had “slipped a cog.” “Are you crazy?” Smiling I went on, “You know, those of us who are bom again Chris tians have a wonderful hope in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. We know for a certainty that He is going to return. If it is during my lifetime then this body will never experience the ministry of an undertaker’s art.” This further startled him. I proceeded to take my Bible out of my briefcase and to show him some of the passages of Scripture which have to do with this blessed hope. Perhaps a brief study of them would be a help to you, too. Paul writes, “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thess. 4:16, 17). This is the description of our Lord’s return and the effect it will have upon you and me. The Lord will return with a shout descending from heaven and with the voice of the
archangel, the trump of God shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. That means those of our loved ones who have loved the Lord and who have experienced what the world calls death. Actually, the believ er never really experiences death, spir itual death, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The bodies may be placed in the ground, but long before we ever intern the body of a redeemed individual in the sod, his soul is in the joyous pres ence of his blessed Lord. If you are a saved individual you will never be at your own funeral; you will be in the presence of the Lord. Those who are alive will be caught up in their physical bodies with those who have died and whose souls will be reunited with their redeemed bodies as together we meet the Lord in the clouds. What a wonderful thought and blessed truth. The reference to clouds here is not a weather report indicating that Christ can only return when there are clouds in the sky. But it speaks of clouds of the redeemed who are translated to glory. There will be no “freeway” problems on the road to heaven that glorious day. The reason is that we will all be going in one direction: up. We will all be going at the same speed and our governor will be the Lord Jesus Christ. Ever since the fall of Adam man has been living in a world of death. To the mind of the unbeliever a natural question should follow, “What will happen to me if He should come?” The answer can be settled in your own heart as you rest your whole soul upon Christ. His promise is “Verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgment); but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). 13
BIOLA RADIO PROPHECY MESSAGE
by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper
THEY SHALL SEE HIM
A s we study the second coming of Christ we come to the realization that His return is actually in two phases. He will first come in the air to receive His own, the Church, those who have been redeemed through this age of grace. The second phase is when our Lord Jesus Christ comes to the earth visibly. His coming will be glo rious. Whereas in the first place He is not seen by unbelievers, in the sec ond He will be physically upon the earth, and every eye shall see Him. One of the important pivotal points of prophecy deals with the Lord’s com ing for Israel. This race of people has been unquestionably the most perse cuted nation on the face of the earth. The people have been hated, cursed and killed. In fact, attempts have been made to annihilate them completely. How is it that a nation, suffering such great trials, has been able to endure? The only answer is found in the Word of God. The Lord is always faithful to His promise in that, in this case, He would preserve Israel through all of its vicissitudes until the day when she would finally be redeemed, brought back to her land, fully restored, de livered from her enemies, and forever secure in the presence of Almighty God. Let us clearly understand that this event is going to occur when the Lord Jesus Christ returns not to the air, but to the earth. This was John’s revelation, “Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen” (Reve lation 1:7). Christ’s coming to this earth will not be quiet or silent. He will not come mysteriously, but He will come openly. There is not an eye which will overlook Him. He will be the glorified, majestic Messiah. However, they will see the marks of crucifixion upon Him. But the signs of His suffering will not
bring joy as they do for us. They will bring sadness. As a matter of fact, they will wail and mourn. Who will be do ing this on this glorious day? The text says every kindred of the earth. The wailing will be caused by the fact that they have rejected a Saviour whom they must now meet as Judge. They could have known the joy of being on their way to heaven, delivered from a Chnstless hell, but they were indif ferent to the opportunity. In rejecting the Word of God, they rejected the light that was within them. How wonderful to realize that you and I do not need to meet the Lord Jesus in this manner for we can know Him now as our Saviour, and thereby never face Him as judge. In Zechariah 12:10, we read these in teresting words, “And I will pom- up on the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one moumeth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born.” The Old Testament prophets point out, that those who killed the Messiah are none other than the house of Israel. Now, this does not indicate that Israel was responsible for our Lord Jesus Christ’s going to the cross, as some erroneously think. God allowed this to take place in His great wisdom, mercy, love and grace. John 3:16 and abundant other passages reveal this fact. The Jews were in their day look ing for one who would deliver them from the political powers and bondage of Rome and of the other governments which were oppressing them. The dream world of Israel, which they have envisioned throughout the cen turies will come to pass. With our Lord as sovereign over all, righteous ness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and they will know 14
themselves to be secure. All true bom again believers will earnestly pray and buy up every opportunity of winning LIFE'S PIECES God's thoughts are above human knowledge: He moves in mysterious ways To work out eternity's purpose Through time's short procession of days. While some lives seem favored by fortune, With others misfortune increases; Yet with every life plan that is brok en, God knows what to do with the pieces. Fond hopes often bloom but to with er; Ambition may glow and soon fade; Joy frequently turns into sorrow, And life makes us doubtful, afraid. When a rainbow appears on the storm- cloud And our doubting and questioning ceases, Then we know that although life may break us, God knows what to do with the pieces. God can make the four walls of a sickroom Hold sunshine along with the pain; And the spirit within broken bodies Inspires us again and again. Nature compensates for her short comings, Making up for her lacks and de creases. God can take a life — shattered, crushed, broken, And make Heaven inhabit the pieces. It takes faith, vision, and will power To determine the cast of a soul. In spite of convictions and courage, One sometimes comes short of. the goal. But no matter what have been our failures, Our faith in the future increases, When we let God take over our troubles, For He knows what to do with the pieces.
BIOLA RADIO PROPHECY MESSAGE
CHRIST’S COMING QUESTIONED by Dr. Ralph L. Keiper T here have been many questions in the finite minds of men con cerning this great event of Christ’s return which have been discussed and debated since His blessed promise was first given. If you are not a believer and find it difficult to grasp, may the thought somewhat challenge you that you are not the first to experience these questions. Many in the time of our Lord Jesus did not believe in His Word. When He told His disciples that He was going to rise from the dead, they thought He was insane. When He mentioned it to the religious leaders of His day, they thought He was absolutely irrational. Without be ing sacreligious, his own parents thought that the Lord was a paranoic. That is the Greek word translated in the Gospel, “they thought he was be side himself.” But, you see, we do not base our beliefs upon the opinions of men, nor upon the guesses of science. Our faith is built uport this Word of God and the Word of God alone! The Apostle Peter prophesied that questioners, doubters, a n d scoffers would flourish before the Lord’s return. In his second epistle, chapter three, verse one, he gives this explanation, “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remem brance.” Before he gives the message, Peter cites his authority. He is not teaching reason of men but the revela tion of God. Whenever we decide a question concerning the faith, we must determine the authority which will be used. Men erroneously use human au thorities against the Word of God. In the realm of philosophy and science, men invariably make an appeal to (continued on next page) 15
these dear people to the Saviour, their only Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prophecy (cohUmied) their reason. In this way the revela tion of God, His Word, is brought to the bar of reason. Here we find, for instance, the fact that Jesus was bom of a virgin is unreasonable and unscien tific. But you see, the fallacy of reason is that man is trying to pit the infinite wisdom of God with the puny thoughts of foolish man. No wonder the Lord has told us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8, 9). Because of these errors in reason, Peter establishes his au thority for the inerrancy of the Scrip ture. Peter does not regard the writings of the Old Testament prophets as hu man documents but as divine. Both the prophets and apostles were merely car riers of the Word of God. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Peter 1:21). There have never been any proven errors in the original manuscripts, and to say that there are is to blame God for He is the supreme Author. The reason Peter takes such a strong stand upon the Scriptures is revealed in the third and fourth verses of the third chapter of his second epistle. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” Some of our readers may take this very same attitude. But, again our computation of time is by our own reason, not God’s! A thousand years are but a day to Him. Just because this great event prophesied hasn’t yet come, doesn’t it cause us to disbelieve or to doubt. Our faith is solidly riveted in the Word of God and we believe in the God who cannot lie. The integrity of His Word can be fully trusted. Since we believe the Bible to be the product of the mind
of God, not the wishes of men, we believe that we can, without any reser vation, rely on His precious promises. Read this entire chapter and see that God “is not slack concerning His prom ise as some men count slackness.” The Lord is long-suffering for one reason and that is that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Oh, what match less grace is constantly revealed in His divine love and mercy. If you haven’t trusted Him, do so today, by faith in His finished work of redemption on Calvary’s cross for your sins. WHO IS REALLY GUILTY? How tragic that the popular concept of our day is to remove all inclinations toward God and His truth in public areas of service. The Lord has become “unconstitutional” in many of our af fairs of life. There was a prominent jurist who served as attorney for a con demned murderer. In his final sum mation to the jury he declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, my task is very easy. The accused has confessed and thereby has made any defense impossible. Yet, l cannot help but recall what is print ed on these coins in my pocket. You know the words very well. They de clare ‘In God We Trust.’ But why is it we no longer hear anything of Him in our public schools which this mur derer attended. Why should it be that the first time in his life to hear of God’s mercy and grace would be from a fail chaplain? I firmly believe that if the attention of my client had been directed toward the One upon whose truth this nation has supposedly been founded, he would not be standing at the bar of justice facing disgrace and death. With all of the force of my heart, 1 earnestly say, ‘It is you whom I accuse.’ We brag of our education and culture and yet we are a nation of practical atheists, living as if there were no God. May the Lord take pity on our souls as well as upon his.” This is a true evaluation. Where does the blame really belong? “Righteous ness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people!” 16
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